Justice News

Two Plead Guilty In Armed Robbery And Carjacking Shootings

Investigation by FBI’s Cross Border Task Force Results in the Conviction of Two Defendants to Date in a Violent Robbery and Carjacking

Greenbelt, Maryland - Tonnie Floyd, age 22, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to robbery, discharging a gun during the robbery and carjacking, in connection with an armored car robbery and a carjacking in which a victim was shot in the face. Marcellus Ramone Freeman, a/k/a Derrick Relando Pitts, age 23, also of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to the same offenses on Monday, August 11, 2014.

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; the members of the FBI Cross Border Task Force - Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Acting Assistant Director in Charge Timothy A. Gallagher of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office; Chief Mark A. Magaw of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Cathy L. Lanier of the Metropolitan Police Department; and by Chief Alan Goldberg of the Takoma Park Police Department.

According to their plea agreements, on October 26, 2012, Floyd, Marcellus Freeman and another conspirator, driving a stolen Jeep, followed a Garda Cash Logistics armored transport vehicle to the Cricket store located in the 1300 block of University Boulevard East, Takoma Park, Maryland. A Garda employee exited the armored truck, went into the store and picked up a bag containing $3,911. As he returned to the armored truck, he was confronted by two co-conspirators with guns. The Garda employee dropped the money bag and at least one co-conspirator fired a gun at the employee. The employee shot back. One of the co-conspirators picked up the money bag. The co-conspirators ran back to the stolen Jeep. As the co-conspirators drove away, the employee continued to fire his handgun at the Jeep, striking a tire and the back window. Floyd was wounded in the shoulder during the gunfire.

The co-conspirators left the Jeep in a neighborhood nearby because it had a flat tire, as a result of the shooting. They saw a man entering a vehicle, and shot the man in the face, causing permanent and life-threatening bodily injury. They took the vehicle and drove into the District of Columbia, where they set the vehicle on fire.

Floyd faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for armed robbery; life in prison for using and discharging a weapon during a crime of violence; and 25 years in prison for carjacking. Freeman and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts his plea agreement, Freeman will be sentenced to between 241 months and 30 years in prison. Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow scheduled Floyd and Freeman’s sentencings for November 25, 2014 and December 11, 2014, respectively.

Co-defendant Anthony Terrell Cannon, age 25, of Washington, D.C. was charged by indictment for alleged offenses arising from the robbery and is scheduled to go to trial on September 2, 2014.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the FBI Baltimore and Washington Field Offices, the Prince George’s County and Montgomery County Police Departments, the Metropolitan Police Department and the Takoma Park Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys William D. Moomau and Bryan E. Foreman, who are prosecuting the case.